Matthew Williamson: Sun in winter

The lilac satin curtains as the backdrop to the Matthew Williamson show told the whole story: glamour in a soft and subtle way.

But the textural message, mixing fluffy fur and suede fringed boots with silken floral prints or shiny satin two-piece gowns, was as strong a story as colour.

Those shades were almost entirely fixed on bougainvillea pink, lagoon turquoise and sunshine yellow.

This could be imagined as sophisticated wear in Brazil or the South of France, as cool people go to warm places in winter.

But Williamson has left behind his signature, Ibiza, hippie-de-luxe style, and that’s smart. Because with new designers following the wanderlust trail, Matthew has developed a fresh and more sophisticated vision that is still his essential fashion style.

Topshop goes to the country

The Topshop Unique cuties, with their sassy London look, went where they can seldom have put their pert, square-heeled shoes before: the English countryside.
Imagine a young woman invited for the weekend by a young lordling who chatted her up on the dance floor. A quick pack of a tweed kilt, opened at the thigh; grab a pair of sky-blue cord trousers; a bit of fur from an elder sibling; count on borrowing a coat from her ladyship – and there was the Topshop Unique look transported to the country.

Just to give a good impression to the aristocratic parents, there was a dress patterned with weeds to suggest a willingness to garden.

This new wardrobe worked in a grown-up way. But it seemed unlikely for an urban creature who seemed so much more comfortable at the cocktail hour part of the show. Short lacy dresses, a blazer a-blaze with crystals and the LBD (London Black Dress) seemed more suited to a wardrobe and an image that Topshop represents.

But there was one standout item: a sleek honey gold velvet jump suit to straddle town and country.

Mary Katrantzou: The courage of invention

A phobia for empty space versus streamlined modernism – or, as Mary Katrantzou put it in an artistic framework to her show: 'Horror Vacui', referring to the Victorians' rejection of minimalism in favour of abundant decoration in costume and interior design.

The show that the Greek-born designer sent out on a runway of tooth-gum-pink foam was a tour de force. It showed Mary's courageous urge for innovation and how far she has come since she offered digitally-printed teacups at the start of the 21st-century pattern revolution.

In an extraordinary vault between technology and art, the designer produced clothes that can truly be labelled original in both art and craft.

This was achieved from different angles. First came the utter plainness of sculpted tops moulded to the breast with a seamless fabric normally used to smooth car roofs. The result was uber-minimalism, with the only movement coming from the kick at the hem of a skirt.

Then there were bodices in a technical version of flocking, contrasted with traditional lace in the skirt. That hemline movement, sometimes looking forced, appeared continuously, but often just peeping out from under a knee-length coat.

Last season, Katrantzou created a collection that was equally exceptional by concentrating on nature. But this Autumn/Winter 2015 show that seemed like a battle between minimal and maxi was something else: a truly original concept expressed vigorously in the language of clothes.

Jonathan Saunders: A bright geometry

The rainbow of shades on the pillars that pierced the catwalk sent an instant message that Jonathan Saunders was building his show on colour. And pattern.

Dresses and jackets with swirly waves of red competed for attention with straight lines of similar brightness.

Colour might curl across the body of a dress in waves of orange, blue and silver.

Most evident was a visual rupture, when straight lines bisected circles of colour.

As a geometric statement using set square and compass, it was an impressive exercise. But there was something awkward about the show – and not just the lace-up boots that had the models wobbling past each chromatic pillar.

Saunders has been working for some time on colours as body language. This season he turned it into an art form. But too much artistry and not enough down-to-earth clothing may make for wardrobe complications.

Paul Smith: A checkered present

A straight coat, its firm lines softened by faded checks – Paul Smith took his collection into that almost-forgotten British fashion territory: tailoring.
Softened by the washed Madras checks, thickened by the use of shearling, this was a fine and well-thought-out collection from London’s great menswear designer, who has finally given his women’s line street cred – meaning that it looks desirable and practical.

This collection reminded me of what has been lost in fashion since the focus swung to digital experiments and every other outfit is built on pattern and print.

Paul Smith’s approach is much more pragmatic, and that is meant as a compliment. These are clothes that will last long in a woman’s wardrobe. For a start, there were trousers, often forgotten among a plethora of skirts. There might have been more diversity in length, but the ankle-high pants looked slick.

But it was the faded checks which caught the moment – geometric, with a soft haze to make them wardrobe-friendly rather than a loud fashion statement.